If you are building a brand and looking to expand into exports, tradeshows and multi-brand showrooms are one of the sales and promotional tools you will need to consider. Today’s market is all about multichannel with lots of different routes to market. Wholesale is just one of these.

Nowadays, tradeshows and showrooms are not just about showing the collection to buyers and taking orders. The right event can help you to meet online retailers, agents, distributors, press, bloggers and other influencers. Whilst the larger tradeshows tend to be where most companies start out as they should give you maximum exposure, as time goes on more established companies often look to the smaller niche shows or multi-brand showrooms, especially in Paris.

The UKFT Export Team regularly visit the key international exhibitions, shows, fashion weeks and showrooms; we can give you impartial advice on which ones could be right for you, how they operate, who else shows, how you might best approach the organisers, and how to prepare for the show or showroom if you are accepted. We also have valuable, first-hand experience of the ways in which UK exhibitors tackle the shows and the markets.

FIND OUT ABOUT THE NEW UK TRADESHOW PROGRAMME

Members may contact us for a free consultation on tradeshows and showrooms by emailing info@ukft.org.

We also run a regular ShowTalk event where companies can find out about the shows, how they work and how to apply for the show and grants. Please see our events page for more details and downloads section for reports on previous shows.

The UKFT Guide to Exhibiting at International Tradeshows (available to UKFT members and TAP companies) gives an overview of the whole process, with tips and things to consider covering each stage of the journey:

• Planning to show
• Applying for a stand, including the location, size of stand, fixtures and fittings, contracts and obligations
• Financial help (grants) from the Department for International Trade (DIT)
• Preparing to show, including timing, paperwork, fascia name, catalogue entry, stand list and electricity
• Additional costs including insurance, VAT and other local taxes
• Your stand including space-only stand design, fully-furnished stand design, garment hangers and/or hooks, security, music, video, fashion shows, WiFi, models and interpreters
• Transport covering your travel arrangements, vaccinations, health insurance and visas
• Transporting your collection including ATA Carnets, travel tips and storage
• Preparing to sell including price lists, selling terms, order taking, export credit insurance or factoring, local market requirements, line sheets, lookbooks and brochures
• Things to consider while at the show, presentation, including taking orders, dealing with press and other visitors, security
• Scam alert: details on a common scam targeting exhibitors at international tradeshows
• Exhibitor checklist

UKFT can help you to select the right vehicles for your collection once you have visited the show/s. We can explain this in more detail and help you through the DIT TAP grant application process.  We can also advise on the best way to make your application appealing to the show organisers and make introductions.